Final Bow
by obsessedwithstabler
Summary: And as she walked out the door, a soft breeze caressed her skin, and she could have sworn she heard his voice in her ear. I'm proud of you, Allison. Major CD, and established HouseCameron romance.


A sad story idea that demanded to be written. Kind of inspired by the episode with Ezra Pound, when House finds Cameron in the chapel and tells her he's proud of her. It's sort of dark, and definitely not for the fainthearted. It includes assisted-suicide and some very sad stuff. You've been warned.

Disclaimer: Not mine!

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Why did it always have to rain on days like these?

Allison Cameron leaned forward in the uncomfortable chair and scrubbed her hands roughly over her face. Raindrops pounded against the window, mirroring her dark mood. She hadn't smiled in so long, and now she was certain that she would never smile again.

A bolt of lightning momentarily lit up the room, gone as fast as it had come. She let out a shaky breath and briefly closed her eyes.

Five years. It wasn't nearly long enough, and ironically it was more than she had been given with her first husband. Five years they had flirted and danced around what they both felt. And now it all had come down to this.

She forced her eyes open again and studied the frail form in the bed. One of the best and most brilliant minds in the world, responsible for saving thousands of lives no one else would have, reduced to a mere shadow of his former greatness. She trailed her fingers along his thin arm.

He stirred at her touch and let out a soft groan, one that brought tears to Cameron's eyes. His life was nothing but pain, and now his death was, too. Three months had passed since the diagnosis, and she hadn't been naive enough to believe he would somehow beat this. He was dying, and they took advantage of the time he had left.

She absently stroked his arm as she let the memories of late night talks, shared fears, and tender caresses envelop her. He had told her that he didn't want to die surrounded by machines, but two days ago she didn't have a choice. She had to bring him, and in that time she'd refused to leave his side. They had wasted so much precious time, and she wouldn't waste any more. Not when every minute that passed brought him closer to the inevitable, and every breath was possibly his last.

"Allison..."

Her head jerked up at his weak voice. Forcing a weak smile, she stood up and perched herself delicately on the edge of his bed. "I'm here, Greg." She reached down and gently smoothed his damp hair back.

He swallowed hard and watched her with piercing eyes. "It's over..." He shifted his hips and winced at the pain.

Cameron bit her lower lip. He was right. Even the nurses knew it. They stayed out of the room, and Cameron tended to him. The cancer had won, and it was only a matter of time before his heart would finally give up.

His thin, trembling hand found hers and grasped it tightly. He was a strong, stubborn man, and he wanted to die on his terms. His terms. He studied Cameron intently, summoning the strength for what he had to say. "I don't... want to fight anymore..." He was done.

"Shh..." She lightly caressed his cheek.

He tried to pull away from her hand. "Don't... placate me, Allison." His chest heaved. "This is my life... my choice." His cerulean eyes searched the depths of her ocean green ones. "I want it... to be over."

The meaning of his words suddenly dawned on her, and she shook her head. "Greg, no... I can't do that." She couldn't do what he was asking her to do, and a part of her was angry. He wanted his suffering to end, and she wanted to prolong it. How selfish was that?

His grip on her hand tightened. "I know you can, Allison." His eyes slipped shut. "Please..."

She gently stroked his cheek, feeling sick. He trusted her with his heart, and now he was placing his life in her hands. She had helped one man commit suicide years ago, and House had found her in the chapel hours later. With a hand on her shoulder, he had told her how proud he was of her. It was one of the most intimate moments of her life, and she felt tears sliding down her cheeks. Would he be proud of her if she could find it in her to do it one more time?

Swallowing a soft groan, she left the room for a moment. No one had seen her, and she walked back into the room. The syringe was heavy in her hand. For a brief moment, she paused. In a few days, possibly a week, the cancer would claim his life. He would die, with her by his side. But that wasn't how he wanted it to go. He didn't want some disease to decide when he died, and he trusted her to have the respect to follow his wishes.

With trembling hands, she gently shook him awake. She had the sudden urge to see his eyes one more time.

His eyes slowly opened, and as his vision cleared, he saw the needle in her hands and the tears in her eyes. _That's my girl_...

They locked eyes for a long moment. "I don't want to do this."

"I know..."

She leaned down and kissed his forehead.

He smiled weakly at the contact. "Thank you."

She just sighed and wiped at her eyes before sitting on the bed with him. Then, before she could talk herself out of it, she injected the contents of the syringe into his IV.

He felt the effects of the morphine right away. His breathing became easier, and the pain that plagued him lessened.

Cameron set the empty syringe aside. Then she stretched out alongside House and gently pulled his frail form into her embrace.

He relaxed as he settled against her. His life was down to a matter of minutes, because he had chosen that. Knowing that he'd had some control over his own death soothed him.

Cameron nestled her head against her lover's and listened as his breathing slowed. At least he was going out on his own terms. She slipped her arms protectively around him. It was a small consolation, but at least she'd been able to say goodbye.

His mind started to grow fuzzy, and he kissed Cameron's head. She had more strength than he'd given her credit for. She would be fine. He took a slow breath.

She moved her head to rest over his heart. The morphine was moving quickly through his veins, and his heart moved slower beneath her ear. "I love you, Greg."

His hand came to rest on her thick hair. "Love you, too, Allison." His eyes slipped shut as he silently thanked her again for having the strength to let him go.

His heart skipped a beat, and so did hers. A tear dripped down her cheek, followed quickly by another.

His calloused hand stopped moving, and a pleasant haze enveloped all of his senses. A soft smile curved his lips.

Cameron felt his heartbeat falter, then disappear completely. Her tears fell harder and faster as he took one more breath. "Greg..." she whispered as his chest finally stopped moving underneath her head.

She waited for several long minutes, though for what she wasn't sure. Her heart was shattered, and unlike last time, she knew it wouldn't be mended. She held him tighter and cried into his chest.

After a while, when she finally had the strength to move again, she sat up and studied his pale face. With a shaking hand, she reached out and lovingly caressed his cheek. "I love you." She pulled the blanket tighter around him, then softly kissed his pliant lips one last time before she walked away from the bed.

At the door, she turned around and looked at the bed one final time. "I'm sorry," she choked out. Even though it had been what he wanted, her heart still ached.

And as she walked out the door, a soft breeze caressed her skin, and she could have sworn she heard his voice in her ear.

_I'm proud of you, Allison._

She closed her eyes. "I miss you already, Greg." She opened her eyes again and wiped at the tears as she walked away from his room and from her heart.

The End.

A/N: I cried while writing this! I think that House would be too stubborn to die on anyone's terms but his own, and I believe that Cameron would do this, if it came down to it. Thank you for reading.


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